cookies

Happy National Chocolate Chip Day!! If you were looking for an excuse to make some chocolate chip cookies today, today is the day to have that cheat day because c’mon it’s a national holiday! And any reason to make these soft cream cheese chocolate cookies is a good day in my book! These cream cheese chocolate chip cookies are so soft and moist with the addition of a little bit of cream cheese.

Would you believe me if I told you that the secret ingredients to these soft cookies is cream cheese and cornstarch?!? If you don’t believe me, give this recipe a try and tell us what you think. The other secret to thick soft cookies is to refrigerate the dough for up to 2 hours or overnight. I know some people hate recipes that require you to refrigerate your dough, but if your dough is warm your cookies will spread while baking and turn out thin.

I love how these cookies are thick without being cakey and the texture of these cookies are a bit chewy around the edges while the interior is soft, tender, and moist.

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cream cheese (to get an accurate measurement, put it into a 1/4-cup measure cup rather than using the marks on the outside package), sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.

Add chocolate chips and chunks, and beat for just a minute to incorporate, or fold in by hand.

Using a medium cookie scoop, form heaping mounds. Place on a large plate and flatten mounds slightly with your palm.

Cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Baking with warm dough causes cookies to spread and bake thinner and flatter.

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat and place dough on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set. They will look slightly under cooked, pale and glossy in the center. Rotate pans after 4 minutes and do not bake longer than 10 minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool. (If dough is refrigerated overnight, allow dough to come to room temp for 15 minutes before baking).

Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

These grasshopper mint cookies are chocolatey, minty, soft and chewy, and taste just like a Girl Scout thin mint. Have I caught your attention yet?!? I hear thin mint and I’m sold! 😀 And the other great thing about these cookies are that they are cake cookies which means they are super soft.

It’s Girl Scout season now but, once it ends and you get a craving for those thin mints, you won’t have to wait until the next year! Just whip up a batch of these in the meantime to satisfy your craving.

The one thing that is a bit tedious with this recipe is having to unwrap each mint. If they sold them in bulk without wrappers. It would make things so much easier but it’s worth it for the flavor it adds to the cookies and the presentation. I’m all about presentation!

Be sure to pin this recipe to your Pinterest board to have on hand. Your family, friends, and coworkers will love you if you make them a batch when they are craving or can’t get their hands on some Girl Scout cookies!

The recipe for these s’mores cookie call for marshmallow bits, you know those mini marshmallows that you only got in hot chocolate packets. Did you know they sell a whole container of them? Where were these when I was a child?!? My parents would have loved to have been able to buy these for me because I would always open up a second packet just to steal the marshmallows out of it and make some other unlucky person, usually my Dad drink the other packet without marshmallows.

When you can’t have a campfire s’more you can always make these soft and chewy s’mores cookies that have everything you love about a s’more with it’s combination of sweet graham crackers, creamy melted chocolate, and toasted marshmallows. Like a touch of cinnamon flavor, use the cinnamon flavored graham crackers or if you want the taste of a traditional s’more use the original graham crackers. These darn cookies are so good! It’s like having two desserts in one—a cookie and a s’more!

In a separate bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. Add the chocolate chips and marshmallow bits and stir to combine. Scoop dough using a mini cookie dough scoop and place onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until edges are a light golden brown.

These fruit cheesecake sugar cookie cups combine the soft, chewiness of the sugar cookie, the smooth no-bake cheesecake, and the pop of freshness from the assortment of fruit! It’s summer and what is the best summertime dessert? For me it’s none other than fruit pizza! I know a few (a lot) of people that would agree with me. So to put a little twist on everyone’s favorite classic dessert the fruit pizza, I made the sugar cookie into a portable cup.

The ingredients are simple yet, the combination of it all is just so delicious! Mmm! You know the recipe is a winner when they are the most requested (and 7 batches later) your friends are still wanting more! And getting a non-fruit lover to like these is another testament as to how yummy these little treats are. My friend’s husband who doesn’t particularly like fruits was a bit skeptical to try one of these fruit cheesecake cups but, once she finally convinced him to try one he was sold!

So for your next hangout or BBQ, whip up a batch (or maybe 2 or 3) to take with you to your next get together!

Cream butter and sugar together for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Dough will be thick.

Scoop dough balls into muffin tin with a cookie scooper. Press cookie dough into the bottom and about 1/3-1/2 way up the sides of each cupcake cup, forming a cup shape.

Bake for 8-10minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling. If the centers aren't cupped enough to add filling, use the end of a wooden spoon or the bottom of a tablespoon to press the center down a bit.

Once cookies have cooled, make the cheesecake filling. Blend the cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar together until smooth.

Fruity Pebbles cereal in a cookie…ummm YES! When my friend Taylor sent me this pin on Pinterest I was intrigued! Some of my favorite cereals are fruity pebbles and fruit loops so naturally, I had to try them! And the best part is they are pudding cookies! I may seem a bit excited about these because pudding cookies are one of my favorite types of cookies because they are so soft and chewy.

I wasn’t sure how the cereal was going to hold up in a cookie but, surprisingly it works. Even after the cookies were baked, the cereal still had a bit of a crunchy/chewy texture that bursted with fruity flavors, which was surprising. After the first bite I was sold…these were DELICIOUS! So good I could have eaten the whole batch! These Fruity Pebbles cookies encompass the fruity flavors of the fruity pebbles cereal, creaminess of the white chocolate chips, and the soft and chewiness of a pudding cookie.

A friend of mine had a birthday coming up and I asked what he wanted for his birthday treat. He wasn’t sure and wanted a surprise so, I told him it was going to be something with fruity pebbles. He was a little leery and excited at the same time. So, I gave him the cookies and the next day I saw him I started to ask him how he liked them and before I even finished asking he was gushing about how goood they were and that he loved them! He gave me the ultimate compliment any baker or chef would love to hear when someone eats their food and loves it but, to keep it PG (haha!), let’s just say that he said “it was like a party in his mouth!” He said that they were one of the best cookies he has ever had and didn’t think that cereal would be good in a cookie.

After a testament like this, does it make you want to give them a try? And don’t they look so fun?!? Once you eat one you will want another and another! If you decide to give them a try, let me know in the comments below what you thought of them!